Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's wild romance – £57m sex tape, Kid Rock fight and prison

The highly anticipated Hollywood TV mini series Pam and Tommy launches on Disney+ today.

The new eight part series explores the famous Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee sex tape scandal, which saw their intimate tape stolen and leaked on the internet in 1995.

Starring Lily James and Sebastian Stan as the couple, he film’s official description says that it traces “the origins of the Reality TV Era to a stolen tape seen by millions but meant to have an audience of just two.”

As fans sit down to watch the series across the world, Daily Star takes a look at Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s wild romance.

Whirlwind romance

Before their whirlwind romance, Pamela Anderson had rose to fame as C.J Parker in TV series Baywatch, while Tommy Lee was the drummer in rock band Motley Crue.

Tommy Lee had also previously been married twice – first to Elaine Starchuk in the early eighties, and then to actress Heather Locklear from 1986, before the couple divorced in 1993.

One year later in 1994, Pamela Anderson met Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee on New Year’s Eve at a party at Hollywood’s Sanctuary Club, with Pamela telling Movie Line: “I thought he was a cool, friendly, nice guy. I gave him my number.”

Tommy later called the hotel that Pamela was staying at in Cancun, Mexico while completing a photo shoot, and talking to Nicki Swift, confessed that he called the hotel relentlessly.

He said: “[I called] the hotel every five minutes until they began to pity me … I left messages at her pad, at her friends’ houses, everywhere.”

Tommy later visited Pamela in Mexico and less than four days later, the couple tied the knot after a whirlwind romance in February 1995.

The couple later moved into Tommy Lee’s home in Malibu, where their lives were about to be turned upside down by a huge sex tape scandal.

Sex tape scandal

Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson made headlines in October 1995 after their sex tape was stolen and leaked online.

The tape was stolen by handyman Rand Gauthier, who after working at the couple’s Malibu property, unexpectedly had his contract terminated due to what the couple described as ‘shoddy work’.

He later returned to the property to collect his tools, but told Rolling Stone Magazine that he was met by Tommy Lee holding a shotgun, who said “Get the f**k off my property.”

Rand explained this confrontation prompted him to steal the famous sex tape, and after spending the summer plotting the break in, he stole the safe containing the 54 minute video and worked with others to leak it on the internet.

Pamela and Tommy quickly filed a police report following the incident and later embarked on a $10 million lawsuit against Rand Gauthier and those involved, as well as suing the company that distributed downloaded copies of the videos.

After being advised by their legal team, the pair signed a contract that would allow a one-time Webcast as long as the video wasn’t sold, traded, copied or broadcasted.

Tommy said at the time: “We thought we had won: hardly anyone would see the video on the Internet, and we could recover the tape and start over.”

However, their plan backfired and the tape went viral in 1996 and 1997, and has been estimated to have raked in a whopping $77m (£57m) in sales.

In the years following the incident, Pamela later explained on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen that it “was not a sex tape” adding that it was a “compilation of vacations that we were naked on.”

Children

After the turbulence of the sex tape scandal, the couple were overjoyed to welcome their first child Brandon Lee in 1996.

Their second child Dylan Jagger Lee, was born one year later in 1997.

Pamela has often gushed about her children on TV, telling the Ellen DeGeneres Show: “They’re great kids. I’m really fortunate because it could have been a disaster.

“I’m so proud of them. They’re such gentlemen … they spoil everybody rotten. And they spoil me rotten! They’re just real sweethearts.”

Eldest son Brandon Lee has since embarked on Hollywood career of his own, with Brandon becoming a model for huge fashion houses including Dolce & Gabbana.

However, he told DA Man that he does not want to be compared to his famous parents, saying: “I’m a completely different person with a completely different mindset and a completely different set of skills.”

Dylan Lee tends to keep away from the limelight, but is a talented musician, telling W Magazine: “If I’m in for the night, I’m writing music. I’m either playing the piano, playing the guitar or producing on my computer.

“That’s usually my night every day. Music, music, music!”

Attack, jail time and split

In May 1998, Tommy Lee was charged with felony spousal abuse after he attacked Pamela at home, and after pleading no contest, was later sentenced to six months in prison.

The Evening Standard reported that papers filed at the time of Tommy Lee’s arrest stated that Pamela Anderson said: “Tommy physically attacked me with complete disregard for my safety and, more importantly, for the safety of our children.”

Tommy Lee later spent four months in jail and was ordered to adhere to terms of his probation, which included avoiding drugs and alcohol, performing 200 hours of community service and staying at least 100 yards away from Pamela.

Following his sentencing, Pamela Anderson later told reporters outside the Court House: “I’m very proud of Tommy. I’m happy he took responsibility for this. And I think it’s the first step towards healing.”

However, Pamela filed for divorce days after the attack, and following their split, she reflected on their relationship in an interview with People, saying: “He was the love of my life.

“We had wild and crazy beginnings that was too much for both of us.”

At the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, Tommy was kicked out of the ceremony after getting in a fight with Pamela’s other ex-husband Kid Rock.

Reunion

In 2002, Pamela publicly revealed she had contracted hepatitis C after sharing tattoo needles with Tommy, although has since been cured as of 2015.

Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee shocked the world after they announced that the had gotten back together in 2008.

Speaking at the time, Pamela Anderson said: “There was Tommy and then there was nobody else, with Tommy adding: “We’ve only given it a try 800 times — 801, here we go.”

However after a further two years together, the couple split for good in 2010.

Tommy Lee later married actress Brittany Furlan on February 14 2019.

Pamela Anderson has also been married to musicians including Tommy Lee and Kid Rock, as well as Rick Salomon.

It was also recently announced that Pamela was filing for divorce from her fifth husband, bodyguard Dan Hayhurst.

Pam and Tommy TV series

The story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s sex tape scandal is soon to be brought to life in a new eight part series called Pam and Tommy on the streaming service Disney/Star.

It has been described as “A love story, crime caper and cautionary tale rolled into one,” with the eight-part original limited series exploring privacy, technology and celebrity.

The highly anticipated series stars Lily James and Sebastian Stan as the couple, with Lily James revealing that she hoped Pamela would have become involved in the series, telling Porter Magazine: “I was really hopeful that she would be involved. I wish it had been different.

“My sole intention was to take care of the story and to play Pamela authentically.”

PAM AND TOMMY: AN ORIGINAL SERIES WITH LILY JAMES, SEBASTIAN STAN & SETH ROGEN PREMIERES ON 2 FEBRUARY ON DISNEY+

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk